The project as originally defined, "to study the mechanism by which competent group H streptococci take up deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules from their surroundings", is continued. I examined the interaction of competent Wicky cells with homologous and heterologous DNAs and found that most DNAs that are purified by conventional methods still contain an unidentified protein. This protein allows DNA to bind to competent cells in the absence of certain divalent cations. When the protein is removed, DNA no longer binds in the absence of certain divalent cations. In conjunction with the observation, I examined the role of divalent cations in the cell-DNA reaction and found that calcium is solely responsible for the total effect: binding, entry, and production of acid-soluble products. The results thus far obtained further our understanding of how competent cells interact with DNA.